Published: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 7:05 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 7:05 p.m.

Scott Sanders sees each new day as a gift.

Sanders, 44, was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and has spent the past year and a half undergoing surgery and therapy to remove it.

He is now cancer-free.

Sanders, a Thibodaux native, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. From 1993 to 1999, he played for the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. He played baseball for Nicholls State University for two years before the Padres drafted him.

He and his wife, Linda, 41, now own the Sanders Baseball and Softball Academy in Thibodaux. He is also a pitching coach at E.D. White Catholic High School.

In January 2012, Sanders discovered a lump on the left side of his torso. He didn't think much of it.

“It was the middle of baseball season,” he said. “I had a lot going on.”

Sanders said he thought the mass was the result of an injury and it wasn't serious, but his wife convinced him to see a doctor.

That March, Sanders' doctor performed surgery to remove the mass and assured Sanders he believed it was benign.

But when the results came back about a week later, both doctor and patient were in for a shock.

When Sanders' doctor called, he insisted they speak in person. Sanders said he knew then that something wasn't right.

“I'm really good at gut feelings,” he said. “I can usually tell when something's wrong.”

“I didn't want anybody to worry about me,” he said. “I wanted to be strong.”

After they'd processed the news, Sanders and his wife sat their four children down to explain the situation.

“My biggest fear was my kids worrying about me,” he said. “I didn't want them to be afraid of this. I told them, 'I'm going to be OK.'”

Though the circumstances were frightening, Sanders said he wasn't worried.

“I try to always be a positive person,” he said. “From day one, I told myself that I was bigger and stronger than this cancer.”

His next concern was telling the E.D. White Cardinals.

“I just told them, 'You guys do what you need to do and don't worry about me,'” he said.

Sanders said his past experiences inspired him to have faith and believe he'd be fine.

“I've been through so many things, and God gave me the ability to deal with it well,” he said. “I knew the man upstairs would give me the strength to get through this process because it's not my time to go.”

Doctors in Thibodaux didn't have much experience with the rare cancer, so they referred Sanders to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in April 2012.

The day after his first appointment, he underwent a second surgery to remove any remaining cancerous cells.

“I told them, 'I want to get done so I can get back to my baseball team,'” he said. “I just wanted to get through it.”

Since the cancer hadn't spread past his abdomen, Sanders did not have to go through chemotherapy.

He underwent radiation therapy for eight weeks but said he tried to keep his life as normal as possible.

“Every morning at 6:30, I would go in for 30 minutes,” he said. “And that was it.”

While radiation sometimes made him tired or sluggish, Sanders said the most noticeable side effect he experienced was a sunburn-like mark on his side.

“Luckily, I'm a fairly healthy person, so I took it better than some people,” he said. “I've heard stories a lot worse than mine. I was blessed by God to have a positive reaction to that treatment.”

Sanders wife, Linda, accompanied him to as many appointments as possible. She said she's been impressed by her husband's positive attitude.

“Living with him was easy,” she said. “You would never know that something was wrong, not the way he handled it.”

She was worried but said her husband's strength put her mind at ease.

“That first night he told me, we both cried,” she said. “When you hear 'cancer,' you think 'death.' But after that day, he was so strong.”

For Scott Sanders, the experience was eye-opening.

“This was a wake-up call,” he said. “When I lay my head down at night and I wake up, I'm thankful for the chance to live another day.”

<p>Scott Sanders sees each new day as a gift.</p><p>Sanders, 44, was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and has spent the past year and a half undergoing surgery and therapy to remove it. </p><p>He is now cancer-free.</p><p>Sanders, a Thibodaux native, is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. From 1993 to 1999, he played for the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs. He played baseball for Nicholls State University for two years before the Padres drafted him. </p><p>He and his wife, Linda, 41, now own the Sanders Baseball and Softball Academy in Thibodaux. He is also a pitching coach at E.D. White Catholic High School.</p><p>In January 2012, Sanders discovered a lump on the left side of his torso. He didn't think much of it.</p><p>“It was the middle of baseball season,” he said. “I had a lot going on.”</p><p>Sanders said he thought the mass was the result of an injury and it wasn't serious, but his wife convinced him to see a doctor.</p><p>That March, Sanders' doctor performed surgery to remove the mass and assured Sanders he believed it was benign.</p><p>But when the results came back about a week later, both doctor and patient were in for a shock.</p><p>When Sanders' doctor called, he insisted they speak in person. Sanders said he knew then that something wasn't right.</p><p>“I'm really good at gut feelings,” he said. “I can usually tell when something's wrong.”</p><p>Doctors determined Sanders' mass was a liposarcoma, a rare cancer of connective tissues that resemble fat cells.</p><p>He was stunned but put on a brave face for his family.</p><p>“I didn't want anybody to worry about me,” he said. “I wanted to be strong.”</p><p>After they'd processed the news, Sanders and his wife sat their four children down to explain the situation.</p><p>“My biggest fear was my kids worrying about me,” he said. “I didn't want them to be afraid of this. I told them, 'I'm going to be OK.'” </p><p>Though the circumstances were frightening, Sanders said he wasn't worried.</p><p>“I try to always be a positive person,” he said. “From day one, I told myself that I was bigger and stronger than this cancer.”</p><p>His next concern was telling the E.D. White Cardinals.</p><p>“I just told them, 'You guys do what you need to do and don't worry about me,'” he said. </p><p>Sanders said his past experiences inspired him to have faith and believe he'd be fine. </p><p>“I've been through so many things, and God gave me the ability to deal with it well,” he said. “I knew the man upstairs would give me the strength to get through this process because it's not my time to go.”</p><p>Doctors in Thibodaux didn't have much experience with the rare cancer, so they referred Sanders to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in April 2012.</p><p>The day after his first appointment, he underwent a second surgery to remove any remaining cancerous cells.</p><p>“I told them, 'I want to get done so I can get back to my baseball team,'” he said. “I just wanted to get through it.”</p><p>Since the cancer hadn't spread past his abdomen, Sanders did not have to go through chemotherapy.</p><p>He underwent radiation therapy for eight weeks but said he tried to keep his life as normal as possible.</p><p>“Every morning at 6:30, I would go in for 30 minutes,” he said. “And that was it.”</p><p>While radiation sometimes made him tired or sluggish, Sanders said the most noticeable side effect he experienced was a sunburn-like mark on his side.</p><p>“Luckily, I'm a fairly healthy person, so I took it better than some people,” he said. “I've heard stories a lot worse than mine. I was blessed by God to have a positive reaction to that treatment.”</p><p>Sanders wife, Linda, accompanied him to as many appointments as possible. She said she's been impressed by her husband's positive attitude.</p><p>“Living with him was easy,” she said. “You would never know that something was wrong, not the way he handled it.”</p><p>She was worried but said her husband's strength put her mind at ease.</p><p>“That first night he told me, we both cried,” she said. “When you hear 'cancer,' you think 'death.' But after that day, he was so strong.”</p><p>For Scott Sanders, the experience was eye-opening.</p><p>“This was a wake-up call,” he said. “When I lay my head down at night and I wake up, I'm thankful for the chance to live another day.”</p>